Toradora! Another World
by HarimaKenji03
Summary: A rewrite of the original Toradora! story, this is basically an alternative story, the way some might've wanted it to happen. That's a short version. Give it a chance if you have time, please. Reviews would be great. -Discontinued-
1. The Tiger And The Dragon

Note before I start : Before anyone says anything, yes. Most of this first chapter is from the original novel, I was satisfied with this beginning so I'm going to build my own approach from this.

_There is something in this world that no one has ever seen._

_It is soft and sweet._

_If it is spotted, I'm sure everyone will want to have it,_

_Which is why no one has ever seen it._

_For this world has hidden it quite well, so that it is difficult to obtain._

_But, there will come a day when it is discovered by somebody,_

_And only those who should obtain it will be able to find it.  
That is all._

**Chapter 01 - The Tiger And The Dragon**

"Damn it all!"

It was 7:30 in the morning, inside the dim double-room plus kitchen apartment.  
Takasu Ryuuji was standing, frustrated, in front of the mirror.  
He wiped the mist from the mirror, which quickly returned due to the fog the early-morning shower had created.

"Forget it! This stuff isn't worth crap!"

"Make yourself gentle with floating bangs." This was the slogan on the cover of the latest fashion magazine for men.  
Ryuuji's bangs were now "floating". He had followed the instructions carefully, he pulled his bangs at length,  
blow-dried them until they were sticking straight up, then rubbed them to the side using hair gel,  
he had even woke up half an hour early to make sure he did this correctly.

"Maybe this was a mistake, just making my bangs look different won't make anyone think differently of me." Ryuuji spoke with a sigh.

Ryuuji tossed the magazine, which had taken him ages to work up the courage to buy, into the garbage can.

"I really wanted to change, to finally be seen for who I really am...But I failed"  
Ryuuji thought to himself as he wet his hands and messed up his hair which he had spent so much time working on.  
Something caught his eye, he glanced over to see mold growing on the corner of the wall.

"M-Mold!? But I just got rid of the mold in this room last week!"

Ryuuji bit his lip, annoyed at the fact that this humid room creates mold so quickly.  
He attempted to wipe off the mold with tissues, but of course that didn't work.  
"Damn..I used all my mold removers last time..I'll have to buy more. For now, I'll leave it here, but I will definitely come back and destroy you!"

Ryuuji walked out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, and picked up some pet food and spare newspapers.

"Oi! Inko-chan!"

"Aaah~" A high pitched reply came from the living room.

"Good, he's awake." Ryuuji thought to himself.

He walked into the living room, towards the corner where a bird cage was covered by a cloth, which he then removed to greet his pet which he hadn't seen since last night.  
As odd as it may seem, Inko-chan looked horrible while he was sleeping so his cage had to be covered so no one sees him sleeping.

"Good morning, Inko-chan."

Ryuuji spoke to the yellow parrot as he gave him his morning food, like always.

"G..good..m..good morning!" It looked as if it tired the bird to even say such a simple sentence, but that's apparently what makes him cute.

"Now try to say let's eat.." Ryuuji finished giving him his food and looked at the bird who was sweating from effort to talk.

"L-Let's..e...let's e..let's eat!" Inko-chan was obviously about to reach his limit..

"Very good! Now try to say it. Say Inko-chan." Ryuuji looked hopeful, his eyes getting bigger at the chance that he might finally say it..

"I, I, In, I, In, Iiii...I..." Inko-chan seemed to be using a lot of energy, as he shook his head and rapidly puffed up his body, and then flapped his wings quickly. "......iiiii......"

His eyes squinting, one could vaguely see the gray tongue that stuck out of his beak. Maybe he can do it today, thought his master as he gripped his fists. In the end...

"Blegh!"

"Blah, why are birds so stupid? I guess that's to be expected when your brain only weighs a gram." Ryuuji thought with a sigh, disappointed as usual.

"Where..are you..going..?" Came a voice from behind the fusuma. (OOC : A fusuma is basically a door, if you watch anime I'm sure you've seen them, you know, sliding door? ;P)  
It looks like the idiot has woken up as well. The fusuma opened to reveal a tired looking woman, who gazed at Ryuuji.

"Ryuu-chan, is that your uniform..? Why are you wearing that..?" She asked wearily.

"I'm going to school. I told you yesterday that school starts today." Ryuuji called back.

She opened her legs so she could see his face, and muttered as though she was going to cry.

"But what about Ya-chan's lunch..? I don't smell any food..you didn't make me anything?"

"Nope."

"Eeeeehhh? Then what will Ya-chan do? There's nothing to eat here.."

"I'll be home before you even wake up! It's just the Opening Ceremony."

"Ohhh, is that right? Hee hee hee~" She smiled widely and closed her legs and began to clap her..feet?

"You said Opening Ceremony, right? Congrats! That means Ryuu-chan is a second year from today on!"

"Forget about that, I told you to always remove your makeup before you go to sleep, it doesn't matter how busy or tired you are.  
You said it was a pain, so I even bought you special makeup removing tissues." He came into the room and noticed her pillow, and of course.  
"...AH, what is this!? You got powder all over the pillow! That won't come out! You need to take better care of your skin, you're not young anymore.."

"Sorry, must've drank too much, I just came back an hour ago..But I brought pudding home."

She wandered into the kitchen, and started looking for something.

"Ryuu-channn, it's so dark in here, I can't find the spoon..Can you open the curtains?"

"They are open."

They sighed as they glanced at the window facing south, where their entire source of light came from.  
Since they had moved into this apartment 6 years ago, an apartment building had been built, completely blocking out the sun.

"Damn that apartment building.."

Last year, right behind their apartment, a ten-story luxury apartment building was built. This drove Ryuuji mad countless times.  
Ryuuji took a spoon from the kitchen and handed it to Yasuko.

"Well, I'll be going."

As Ryuuji made sure he had everything, a thought crossed his mind.  
That's right..A new school term starts today..After the Opening Ceremony came the changing of class.  
But what bothered him was the fact he'd failed every attempt to change how people saw him, but he still had some hope.

"I'm leaving, remember to lock the door and change into your pajamas."

"Okayyyyyy~ Oh, and Ryuu-chan," Yasuko started to say as the laid on the futon biting on the spoon, she smiled like a child.  
"You look like you have more energy than usual! You're a second year now! This is something I've never experienced!"

Yasuko had dropped out of high school when she was still a first year in order to give birth to Ryuuji, so she did not know how life was as a second year.  
Ryuuji felt sad for a moment at the thought.

"..Yeah.."

He smiled slightly and raised his hand as a motion of thanks to his mother, but this led to an unwanted result..

"KYAA! Ryuu-chan is soooo cool! You look more and more like your dad all the time!"

..She said it.

Ryuuji quietly walked out and closed the front door and stared up at the sky.

"NO! I'm not like him! I won't ever be like him! Just shut up! I..never want to hear that..especially not today.."

Beginning to walk towards school which was only a short walk away, he sighed as he placed his fingers over his bangs to cover his eyes.  
This was a habit that he tended to do often, for the source of Ryuuji's torment was his eyes.  
It wasn't his eyesight, that was perfectly. It was their appearance, they looked..fierce.  
His eyes were the kind that tilt upwards, giving that angry look. Not to mention his pupils were extremely small.  
Since his eyes were big, they would give off angry glares and the feeling that the second your eyes meet, you'll be sliced open.  
This made people run away as soon as they neared him, regardless of how he was really feeling.  
Though it could also be his rough personality. He spoke in such an unrefined way, which he guessed had something to do with his extreme sensitivity.  
Thus why he hardly ever joked or said anything dumb.

..But the result was always the same.

"Ta√Takasu-kun...! Are you trying to defy a teacher!? S, someone! Bring me a baton!"

No I wasn't! I was just trying to apologize for forgetting to hand in my homework.

"I, I, I, I, I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to bump into you! It was that guy who pushed me over to you!"

Who is going to get mad over getting bumped on the shoulder?

"I heard Takasu-kun gatecrashed a graduation ceremony of some other school while he was in junior high, he even took over their broadcast room!"

"Stop making me sound like such an asshole!" Ryuuji thought, which annoyed him.

He wondered if the same misunderstandings would happen again this year, and let out a sigh.  
Though after spending a year with his classmates, most of the misunderstandings had been resolved.  
But the problem was, that it restarts today, and also the fact his efforts at changing his image had failed.  
He was, however, looking forward to changing classes, in hopes that he'll be in the same class as a certain person.

"Hey, Takasu! Morning!" A voice called from behind Ryuuji.

Ryuuji quickly turned and saw a familiar face, so he raised his hand.

"Oh, Kitamura. Morning!"

"Bleh, it can't be helped. If I stop and wait for him, people will think I'm going to strangle him"  
Being misunderstood was unavoidable for him, and in that case he'll have to explain nicely. He decided that he'll take his time and win everyone over.  
Ryuuji turned and continued to walk forward towards the Opening Ceremony.

"Ah! We're in the same class as Takasu! How scary.."

"So who's going to talk to him..?"

"No way, definitely not me."

"Why not? Go!"

"Hey! Don't push!"

Ryuuji walked by and heard students talking about him, which he ignored and thought "Say what you want, I don't care"  
He sat down at his desk and looked off into the distance, licking his lips with his back turned to everyone.

"Looks like it's the same as always, people are going to misunderstand you here as well."

A male with a friendly smile on his face approached Ryuuji's desk.

"Oh well! It'll get sorted out soon! Besides, I'm here, and a lot of our classmates from class A are here as well."

"Don't worry about it, I don't really mind."

Ryuuji replied with a smile to one of his few friends, Kitamura Yuusaku, who was in his class again this year.  
He was honestly in a very good mood, and was ready to explode from being so happy. No, not because of Kitamura.  
That's the kind of thing that would just make him say "Oh, Kitamura. Looks like we're in the same class again this year"  
That's not what's making him grin like an idiot, the reason was--

"Hey! Kitamura-kun! We're in the same class this year!"

--her.

"Hm? Ah, Kushieda! You're also in 2-C?"

"What? You only just found out? Check the class roster on the first day of school!"

"My bad. Well, this is a good thing. Now it'll be easier to sort out our club meetings."

"Ahaha! That's right! Oh, Takasu-kun. Do you remember me? I'm with Kitamura-kun from time to time."

She then paused.

Ryuuji couldn't say anything.

"Ah, um..It is okay if I call you Takasu-kun, right?"

"Er...um.."

An angel had revealed herself. Ryuuji was looking at a smile that shone as brightly as the sun, and as warm as sunlight.

"..Kushieda Minori, right?"

"DAMN IT! I got the words right! But my voice sounded so cold! Why did I just say that!? Why didn't I think of something better!?"

Ryuuji was ready to bang his head on his desk.

"Wow! You remembered my full name! I'm so glad! Ah..it seems someone is calling me from over there, I have to go Kitamura-kun!  
See you in the first club meeting! Also, Takasu-kun, let's talk again sometime."

Ryuuji raised his hand awkwardly, but she was already gone.

She said she was glad... She said we'll talk again sometime..

He finally got his wish to be in the same class as Kushieda Minori.

She said she was glad... She said we'll talk again sometime..

She said..She was glad..

"Takasu?"

"--Ah!?" Kitamura appeared before his face, causing him to fall off his chair.

"What're you grinning at..?"

"No, it-it's really nothing.."

"Oh, really?"

Ryuuji was grateful from the bottom of his heart, Kitamura might have been the only person who could tell whether he was smiling or not.  
But there was also another thing he was grateful for..

"...Kitamura, erm. How should I say this..You, er, seem pretty calm when you talk to girls, like Kushieda-san!"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Kitamura's eyes widened, he apparently didn't realize it himself. Ryuuji changed his mind, due to Kitamura being so dense.  
Kitamura had always been able to speak with Kushieda naturally, even since last year. They were also both in the softball club.  
Ryuuji was always there smiling at her, or trying to receive a greeting from her. His efforts could bring one to tears.  
Thanks to constantly being with Kitamura and observing his conversations with Kushieda, Ryuuji realized she was cute, and he likes her.

Her various cheerful expressions.

Her delicate body and exaggerated movements.

Her innocent smiles and clear voice.

Even with Ryuuji's appearance, she still managed to act like her usual self around him, even to this day.

That's Kushieda Minori for you.

Ryuuji was snapped out of his thoughts by Kitamura's voice.

"What're you talking about? I can't possibly talk naturally to girls, you know what they call me!"

Ryuuji sighed, he envied Kitamura, who continued his sentence.

"I'm no good with girls. I probably won't ever find a girlfriend, as long as I live."

Ryuuji was going to argue, but decided against it, he figured this guy would never understand.  
It was true that the girls called Kitamura "Maruo", after the typical "Mr. Nice Guy" from Chibi Maruko-chan.  
Maybe there's some resemblance as to why he got this nickname..Oh, that's why!  
Ryuuji finally understood. Kitamura wasn't only able to talk naturally with Kushieda, but ALL the girls.  
Whenever girls would see him, they would say "Oh! I'm in the same class as Maruo again"  
And he would casually reply with "Oh, is that a problem"  
On top of this, he has many more traits: glasses with very high prescription, a straightforward personality, excellent grades, he doesn't follow the trend of being flirtatious, and holds quite traditional values.  
In the right situation, he would say "That's correct"; he is the sort of guy capable of creating a cheerful atmosphere in the classroom. Speaking of which, he is the former class representative, the current vice president of the Student Council, and the front-runner to be the new president of the softball team.  
It is natural for everyone to make fun of him. As Ryuuji was going into deep thought, he heard someone say "Whoa, scary." behind him.

Here we go again..

He laid his head on his desk and ignored the voices he would occasionally hear, he was still happy from being in the same class as Kushieda Minori.

"Sure looks formidable. I told you this guy isn't a normal person."

"Whoa, look at those eyes. If you piss the owner of those eyes off, you could get killed!"

Ryuuji started to notice that the non-malicious whispers began to increase.

It might be better to hide in the bathroom until the new homeroom teacher arrives, Ryuuji thought hopefully. It would clear his mind a bit.  
He stood up and opened the door, and as he was about to walk through it, he felt something bump into his stomach.

"Hmm..?"

Ryuuji thought he had hit something, but there was nothing in sight.

"..Strange..."

He looked around, yet all he could see was--

Students started calling out.

"As expected of Takasu-kun; is he going to make the first move?"

"Has it started already? When I saw the roster I knew this would happen.."

All Ryuuji could see were the new classmates whispering amongst themselves. Are they talking about me? But still, why?  
One of the students came up with the title "Clash Of The Titans."

"This is already the final showdown."

Everyone was talking strangely. Clash of the Titans? Final showdown? What the hell are they talking about? Ryuuji tilted his head trying to make sense of what was going on.

"So you bump into someone and then you don't even apologize?"

He heard a cold voice come from somewhere, the strangly calm voice had the sense of held back emotion that was about to burst.  
But he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from...

"..Huh..?"

The mood suddenly got darker. Ryuuji glanced to his right and saw no one, then glanced to his left, also no one, he looks up, obviously no one there, so that means.  
It came from below him. Right below his eyes, not even coming up to his chest, was a head of brown hair.  
The first thing he thought was that she looked like a doll, due to her small size.  
To put it completely simple, she was very small. Her long straight hair covered the small body of the Palmtop Tiger.

"..Wait, Palmtop Tiger?"

Ryuuji had said that out loud without thinking, apparently hearing it from the whispering students.

Is that what this little doll is called? Though she is small enough to fit into a palm..how is she like a tiger?"

"..Who you calling Palmtop Tiger?"

This was not a time where you could think for long, as whatever this person was lifted her chin, and her eyes..

"WHOAAAA!!"

It took three seconds. Everything went silent, though perhaps it was only Ryuuji's imagination. For an instant, it felt like a vacuum created by a shock wave just after an explosion.  
The background noise slowly returned to everyone's ears. By the time he realized it, Ryuuji found that he had fallen backwards onto the ground.  
It wasn't just him, the few classmates nearby were hit as well and moaned, while others were already getting ready to escape.

What happened? I already know nothing really happened, it was just this girl--

"You're hopeless."

She simply stared at Ryuuji with those two large, tiger-like eyes.

That was it. Within a few seconds, Ryuuji had already been struck down by awe. His mind went blank, his body felt paralyzed just by the sheer pressure she created.  
Ryuuji was repelled by her glare, or to be more precise, he was repelled by the aura that emanated from her eyes, causing him to fall on the ground.  
This was the first time Ryuuji understood what it meant to have fierce eyes.  
It included the necessary essence one carries, as well as a ferociousness to match; or to be more exact, an "intent to kill."

His thoughts were interrupted by the tiger's voice.

"A dragon...? How lame." She opened her cherry lips and shot out words like bullets that carried a certain child-like quality to them. Her incredibly small hands roughly swept aside her fluttering hair, while her soft eyelids hid her killing intent.  
Those eyes were now as transparent as the glass eyes of a doll and stared coldly at Ryuuji.  
"Ah, ahh√ah, ah, ahhh...t√that's right." Without realizing it, Ryuuji began to nod and clapped his hands. So that's why she's called the Palmtop Tiger! I wonder who gave her that name, but ≈

" ≈ Isn't that a wonderful name?"

And such a fitting name as well, I'm impressed. The girl glanced at Ryuuji, silently uttered "dragon", and then looked at him with disdain.  
It was not hard to see why. Whether from the fall or from being ripped open by the phantom tiger, Ryuuji's gakuran jacket was now open. Under his jacket, he wore a colorful "Soryuu (Rising Dragon)" T-shirt that Yasuko had happily bought for him.  
It wasn't like Ryuuji had wanted to wear a T-shirt that would cause such misunderstandings, it was just that all his other clothes were taken to the laundry for that day and he wasn't expecting anyone to be able see what he was wearing inside with his jacket on.  
Feeling embarrassed for some reason, Ryuuji quickly covered his chest, like a girl that just got assaulted by a ruffian. At that moment, he saw someone tip-tapping her way closer.

"Taiga! You're late! You skipped the Opening Ceremony, didn't you?"

"I overslept. Anyways, I'm glad we're in the same class this year, Minorin."

"Yeah! Me too!"

It was none other than Kushieda Minori. She directly called the Palmtop Tiger "Taiga", and even smiled and gently caressed her hair, while the Palmtop Tiger also intimately called her "Minorin.  
Watching all of this, Ryuuji began to hear the whispers around him.

"Looks like the Palmtop Tiger wins Round 1 ."

"Hah, seems like Takasu only looks scary, he's no delinquent!"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, that's why he lost to the Palmtop Tiger. She's the real deal."

The misunderstandings were fixed sooner than expected..in a much different way..

(OOC : Alright, there's not much in THIS chapter. But my version starts now. Enjoy. n_n)

As Taiga and Minori were talking, Ryuuji heard Minori say she had to go and watched her as she turned and left.  
Taiga turned to face Ryuuji, and he could see death in her eyes. She leaned over and grabbed his shirt, and spoke coldly.

"I've seen you watching Minorin, and I don't like it. Know your place, mutt. She's not interested."

She shoved him forward roughly, Ryuuji's eyes now wide with his mouth dropped wide open.

His hopes were crushed, and he knew this wouldn't end well.

He'd made an enemy of the Palmtop Tiger.

**-To Be Continued-**

_The weak point of the Palmtop Tiger is revealed!?_

_Shut up, mutt._

_Work together!?!? Are you insane!?_

_SHUT UP._

_Next time : Chapter 02 - The Shy Love Of The Two_


	2. The Shy Love Of The Two

Author's note : This chapter is about half the size of the first..this'll be the average for each chapter. I hope it's long enough..

**Chapter 02 - The Shy Love Of The Two**

Ryuuji bolted upright on his bed, his eyes wide.  
It'd been a week since his encounter with the Palmtop Tiger, and things weren't looking better.  
Everytime he'd try to talk to Minori, Taiga would intervene, which one time included her falling from the ceiling, somehow, and dropkicking Ryuuji.  
He sighed, and began to prepare for school, the depression sinking in once again.  
He glanced out the window at the apartment building, and heard loud noises coming from the window across from his house.

"How annoying, this early in the morning.."

After feeding Inko-chan and making sure Yasuko didn't wake up, he quietly left for school.

Ignoring the whispers and the other students trying to get away from him on the way to school, as usual, Ryuuji walked with his head down.  
He was deep in thought about how he could get closer to Minori without facing the wrath of the Palmtop Tiger.  
His solution? There wasn't one. Except for the impossible...

Become friends with Aisaka Taiga.

"Yeah right, like hell that'd happen.."

Arriving at school, he walked to the vending machine and bought himself a can of coffee, afterwards Ryuuji hears a familiar voice..

"Her?"

He glanced down the stairs behind him, to find Kitamura and an unusually nervous Taiga talking at the bottom.

"Ki-Kita-Kitamura-kun..I.."

"Huh? Is something wrong, Aisaka-san?"

"Wrong? Oh, no! Um. Kitamura-kun..I..lo.."

Ryuuji's eyes grew wide, for he understood what she was trying to say.

"Kitamura-kun, I...lov.."

Ryuuji was now listening carefully, and his only thought right at that moment was "Spit it out already!"

"Kitamura-kun..I..I...I LOVE YOU!"

Taiga was looking at the floor, her face a deep red from embarrassment.  
Kitamura blinked once, then gave her a friendly smile.

"That's sweet, Aisaka-san. We are good friends, aren't we?"

Ryuuji literally facepalmed, Kitamura was even denser than he once thought.  
Taiga looked up suddenly, her mouth opened a little.

"N-No..Kitamura-kun, I meant--"

"I understand, Aisaka-san. We'll continue to be good friends."

He patted her on the head and walked away, leaving her in shock.

Ryuuji sighed and walked down the stairs and stood right in front of her, she probably didn't notice he was there by the look on her face.

"Aisaka." Ryuuji spoke, bringing Taiga back down to Earth.

"It's you? What do you want, baka-inu?" Taiga said, trying to regain her usual attitude, but to no avail, he could hear her trying to fight back tears.

"I overheard your conversation with Kitamura." Her face turned red again.

"You love hi--"

He was interrupted by a sudden punch to his chin, and a loud "SHUT UP"  
Ryuuji fell back and grabbed his chin to relieve some of the pain.

"..Sorry, I know it's none of my business." He sighed, understanding how she feels and why she hit him.

"Just go away." She turned her back to him and began to walk the other direction.

Ryuuji watched her walk away, when suddenly he realized, he'd found the solution.

"Aisaka! Wait!" He called out to her, and she turned to face him.

"What the hell do you want, you stupid dog!?" She yelled back, embarrassment still in her tone.

"I think we can help each other, if you'll listen to me."

She glared at him, though he could tell she was curious, so he continued.

"You love Kitamura, I love Kushieda. We each love the other's best friend. We can help each other."

Taiga's eyes widened, and she turned away.

"..Just how stupid are you?" That was all she said before walking away towards their class, Ryuuji shook his head and slowly followed.

He tried to talk to her countless times throughout the day, but she found a way out each and every time.  
Finally, at lunch, Ryuuji saw her leave the classroom and quietly followed her.  
She went to the rooftop and stood, looking over the edge of the school.  
Ryuuji walked out the door and looked at her.

"Aisaka." He called out to her.

She looked around to face him, the force of the wind at this altitude giving her a more fierce look than usual.

"You're so persistent..fine."

Ryuuji approached her, and looked deep into those glaring brown eyes.

"So have you thought about it?"

She looked down, put her hands behind her back, and started leaning back and forth.

"..Do you think Kitamura-kun will like me..?"

"Maybe, if you stop being so clumsy. Also, don't forget. You have to return the favor to me."

"Shut up, perverted dog. And who you callin' clumsy?"

Ryuuji smirked, still not believing the Palmtop Tiger could fall in love, but was grateful for it, because now he has a chance with Minori.

"You, idiot." Ryuuji replied with a slight laugh.

Taiga sighed.

"Fine, you're my dog from now on."

"What!? Your DOG!?" Ryuuji half-yelled, a little annoyed.

"Yeah, my dog." Taiga retorted, the straight look on her face assuring him she wasn't joking.

"Why a dog?"

"Because like hell I'll say we're friends, and something tells me a dog will fit perfectly."

"What would tell you that!?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because suddenly getting called a dog without a reason is insulting!"

"How annoying..fine. I don't know, really. Just something I kind of remember from when I was little." She looked like she was trying to remember, but not show Ryuuji that she was.

"Is that so..okay then, we'll talk after school..Taiga."

Taiga looked up at him, and he was giving her a serious look back.

"Taiga!? My first name, without honorifics!?" Taiga yelled, her facial expression showing a mixture of shock and a little bit of annoyance.

"Yeah, if we're going to be helping each other, I'll feel free to call you as such." Ryuuji said, then began to walk back towards the door to the rooftop.

"How rude..deciding such a thing on your own.."

She sighed, but smiled slightly.

"Fine then..Ryuuji."

She ran to catch up to him, and they walked back to class together.  
Once school was over, they walked to the entrance of the school, both ignoring the whispers of the students around them, positive they were whispering about how "scary" they both are.

"When will the rumors end..?" Ryuuji said with a sigh.

"Just stop letting it bother you, let them be afraid of you if they're really so dim-witted that they can't get to know you.

"Yeah..I guess you're right."

Ryuuji turned to leave the school, and began walking home.

"That Taiga..she's a lot different than I thought.." Ryuuji said to himself.

"..And what is that supposed to mean, dog?" A voice from behind him said.

Ryuuji's eyes widened and he looked behind him to see Taiga walking behind him.

"W-What are you doing, following me!?"

"Following you? Don't be so full of yourself. I live this way as well." Taiga replied, walking past him with her eyes closed.

"O-Oh, is that so..?" Ryuuji said, shifting his eyes to the blue sky above them.

They continued walking, until they reached Ryuuji's house.

"Well this is where I live, so I'll be leaving you here. Will you be alright the rest of the way?" Ryuuji said, glancing at Taiga.

"Idiot..of course I'll be okay. I live right here." She replied, walking to the door of the apartment building next door.

"Wh-What!? YOU live there?" Ryuuji replied, his mouth still wide open.

"Yeah, my window is right beside your balcony. Later, Ryuuji." She said, then walked into the building.

Ryuuji remembered the noise from this morning, and laughed now that he knew it was her.

"How interesting.."

He walked into his house, Yasuko was already gone it seemed.  
Time went by, Ryuuji was cleaning the house, it'd become a habit to do so every day.  
Eventually, Ryuuji decided it was time to cook dinner. So we went into the kitchen to prepare.  
While he was cooking, he heard something hit the glass door in the other room.

"What the..?"

He walked over to the door and pulled back the curtain covering it, and saw Taiga standing in front of her window on the other side, so he opened the door and walked outside.

"Uh..yo.." Ryuuji said, not used to the fact that she lives beside him yet.

"We need to talk, if we're going to do this we need to do where we both stand as of now."

"Eh, you're right..Well, you can come on ove--"

He was interrupted by a tiny body connecting with him, sending him flying backwards into the living room.  
Taiga had jumped from her window into his house.

Taiga stood up and brushed herself off, then sat down on the tatami mat.

"What the hell, Taiga!?" Ryuuji said, grabbing his chest to ease the pain.

"What a pain..stop complaining and let's get started."

Ryuuji grunted, then turned to walk to the kitchen.

"I have to finish cooking, then we can get started."

"So you're cooking, huh.."

"Yeah, I was doing so when you hit the doo--"

He heard a growl come from Taiga's direction, he turned to see her looking down, blushing.  
Ryuuji laughed, understanding what it was.

"Looks like you're hungry, fine, I'll treat you this time."

"..Shut up, stupid dog." She said, never once looking up.

"Yeah, yeah.."

After 15 minutes, she glanced up when 2 dishes were placed in front of her.  
Pork cutlets and fried rice for a side dish..her favorites.  
She blinked a few times when she saw the food, and how good it looked.

Ryuuji looked at with her a puzzled look.

"Err..is something wrong? I mean, I guess this isn't much..since you're rich this is probably not what you're used to--"

"No, it's kind of the opposite.." She interrupted, and he continued to look at her, confused.

"I don't live with my parents, they gave me the apartment because I wanted to leave. I just live off junk food I buy from convenience stores, more or less..I'm not used to home-made meals, and you even made my favorites.."

Ryuuji was a little surprised, then chuckled.

"Is that so? Well I can't let you live off junk food, feel free to come over anytime."

"Don't make me sound so pathetic!..but, thanks.."

"No problem." Ryuuji said with a smile.

After they were finished eating, Ryuuji cleared the table and then they sat back to finally talk about their situation.

"So how about you? How are you and Minorin doing as of now?" Taiga said, not really caring that much.

"Well you wouldn't let me talk to her, so neutral I guess.."

"Details, details..Well it doesn't matter, I'll allow you to talk to her now, you just better not try anything perverted."

"Hey! I wouldn't do something so low!"

"Yeah yeah, anyways. As for myself and Kitamura-kun..well, you saw that for yourself.."

She was looking at the floor again, saddened by the memory of earlier that day.

"Yeah..Don't worry, it'll be alright. We'll make sure he acknowledges your feelings." Ryuuji said with an assuring smile.

"Heh, yeah. I was, um..going to give him this.."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out an over-decorated envelope with a heart sticker keeping it sealed.  
Without even having to ask, he understood what it was.

"A love letter, huh? How classic."

Taiga blushed at his comment, and quickly stashed the envelope away.

"..Is that a bad thing?"

"Nah, if you think that's bad, let me show you this."

He led her into his room and pulled out a box which he sat on the floor in front of her.

Inside was a list of songs that he'd want to play at a concert if he were to take the girl he likes, poetry he had wrote for that girl, CDs he'd play if he were out for a drive with that girl, even different ones for each season of the year.  
Not to mention he had everything he'd need for any typical kind of date..

"Pretty bad, isn't it? I can't tell her how I feel, so all I can do is fantasize and put together things like this." Ryuuji said, his face slightly red.

Taiga looked through everything in the box, and sighed.

"We have a lot of work to do.."

**-To Be Continued-**

_You know..Maybe there's hope for the both of us.._

_Only if we're willing to work for it._

_And there's still a long way to go.._

_Next Time : Chapter 03 - Two Sides Of Your True Self  
_


	3. Two Sides Of Your True Self

OOC : Due to request, I'm not going to center the chapters anymore, lmao. Also, a few more things. 1)This rewrite is about 100 words longer than the previous chapter 3, and this version is _much_ better, in my opinion. 2)Idk if this is a good or bad thing, but I have written the last chapter to this story. It's completely done. It's only about 400 words, but it's pretty good in my opinion. (: So far, I've marked it as chapter 25, to go with the anime. It _might_ be lower than 25, _maybe _higher, I'll just have to see how I build up to that, because I'm really liking the ending. But yeah, can I get some more reviews? I only have 3... So I'm kind of unsure if I'm doing a good job or not. I keep seeing that people are putting my fanfic on their story alerts, but not reviewing. Come on guys, let me know how I'm doing, guess what's going to happen next, anything. Lol. That sounds so pathetic, I know. But I'm curious as to what's on your minds, so let me know. Okayyy, enough of this long OOC. Enjoy the chapter. (:

**Chapter 03 - Two Sides Of Your True Self**

The next week went by with no changes to the current situation, Ryuuji would get embarrassed and say the wrong thing whenever he talked to Minori, and Taiga would choke up and find an excuse to leave when around Kitamura.

"We won't get anywhere at this rate.." Ryuuji said, pulling his bangs down in front of his face with his eyes closed as he walked home from school with Taiga.

"Yeah.. I'd say that's because we're not doing anything differently than before. I thought we were supposed to help each other, where's your plan?" Taiga said, glancing upwards at Ryuuji, to which he just sighed.

"I haven't been able to think of anything in particular." He replied, opening his eyes slightly to look down at the Palmtop Tiger.

"Well I know where we can start." Taiga said, turning to walk in another direction.

"Eh, Taiga!" Ryuuji called, jogging to catch up to her.

"Where are you going, anyways?" Ryuuji said after awhile.

"Just be quiet and follow me." She replied calmly.

They walked for about 10 more minutes, before Taiga stopped and turned to walk into a family restaurant.

"What? Taiga, what are we doing here? I was going to cook anyways.." He said, wearing an expression of confusion.

"Forget that, come on." Taiga said, walking over and sitting in a booth.

"If you say so.." Ryuuji sighed, sitting on the opposite side of Taiga.

Taiga picked up her menu and was looking it over, leaving Ryuuji slightly annoyed.

"Oi, Taiga. You still haven't told me why we're her--"

Ryuuji was interrupted by a voice that was, quite familiar..

"Taiga! Takasu-kun!" Called a worker, who immediately came over to where they were sitting.

Ryuuji looked up to see none other than Kushieda Minori, who was looking down at them with a cheerful smile.

"Minorin!" Taiga yelled, jumping up to hug her.

Minori happily responded, messing with Taiga's hair as the tiger embraced her.  
When Taiga finally sat back down, Minori looked at them with a sly expression.

"So why are you two here together? Could this be, a date?" She said, leaning over and giving them a sly smile to match the look in her eyes.

Ryuuji had been blushing the entire time, and was trying not to look at Minori. But at her "date" comment, he immediately looked up and shook his head no.

"N-No! It's not like that!" Ryuuji said, waving his hands no as well.

Taiga glared and looked up at Minori.

"Me? Date this dog? You shouldn't kid like that, Minorin." Taiga said with a slight chuckle.

Minori tilted her head to the side, with a confused look on her face.

"Hm? Is that so? Okay then! Anyways, what can I get you two? A giant sundae!? An extra extra large order of fries!? You name it! Just don't tell the other customers.." Minori said lowly, with a sneaky smile.

"Ah, um. I'm not that hungry.." Ryuuji said, pulling his bangs over his face to try and hide the blush that had spread over his entire face.

"Oh, really? Allllright then! How about you, Taiga?" Minori said, glancing over at Taiga who was sighing at Ryuuji's failure to make a move.

"Ehh, I think I'll just get an orange smoothie, Minorin." Taiga replied, a smile replacing the sigh as she looked up at her hard working friend.

"Okay! I'll force them to make it quickly!" Minori said with a playfully evil laugh as she half-jogged back to the kitchen.

As soon as Minori was out of sight, Ryuuji looked up and was immediately struck by Taiga's fist.

"What the hell!?" Ryuuji said, rubbing his head to ease the pain.

"Idiot.. I brought you here to give you a chance to talk to her, and you would hardly look at her, let alone talk."

Ryuuji got silent, regret creeping over his thoughts. He had missed his chance.  
Sensing how he was feeling, Taiga grunted.

"Don't get depressed, it's not like you'll never get another chance." Taiga said, looking out the window to her right.

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Ryuuji said, biting his lip."

While waiting, Taiga pulled a magazine out of her bag and started looking through it.  
Ryuuji stared out the window idly, since there wasn't much else he could do until Taiga wanted to leave.  
Though he honestly did not want to leave, just being able to see Minori was enough for him.

"Hey Ryuuji, what do you think of this?" Taiga said, pointing at a picture in the magazine.

"Err, I don't think they make clothes like this in your size.." Ryuuji replied, before getting hit over the head.

"I meant the purse, stupid!" Taiga said, annoyance clear in her expression.

"Well if that's the case, sur--"

"Aaah!" Taiga interrupted, looking at the door on the other side of the restaurant.

"What's wrong?" Ryuuji asked, giving her a puzzled look.

Taiga pointed at the model in the picture, then pointed towards the door.

"Eh?" Ryuuji said, turning to look at the door and noticed that the girl in the picture looked just like the girl who was at the door.

"Looks like it's the same person." Ryuuji said, looking back at Taiga with a blank face.

"That much is obvious, moron. I mean, look who she's here with!" Taiga half-yelled, once again pointing towards the door.

Ryuuji turned back to the door, and saw a guy with green hair, glasses, and looked his age. That could only mean...

"Kitamura!" Ryuuji yelled, surprise in his tone.

"Oi! Takasu!" Kitamura said with a wave of his hand, before walking over, the blue haired model following behind him.

"Kitamura, what brings you here?" Ryuuji said, looking up at his bespectacled friend.

"I'm here with a friend of mine, we've been friends since we were kids and she got some time off so she came here."

The girl walked up beside him and smiled politely.

"I'm Kawashima Ami, nice to meet you." She said, with a slight bow.

"I'm Takasu Ryuuji, nice to meet you too." He spoke, trying not to blush due to talking to a model.

"... I'm Aisaka Taiga." Taiga said, looking up at Ami with a look of boredom.

Ryuuji glared at Taiga for being rude, before asking if they wanted to join them, to which they happily accepted.

"Oh, Kushieda should be coming back soon. Shouldn't you 2 be figuring out what you'll be ordering? Ryuuji said, trying to find something to talk about.

"Haha, she's way ahead of you Takasu. She took care of that before you even noticed us." Kitamura replied with a laugh.

"Oh, I see. Well that's Kushieda, she works hard." Ryuuji spoke, pulling his bangs over his face once again.

"That's because I have too much free time, and I have to work hard to not be bored!" Minori said, coming up beside them and handing Taiga, Ami, and Kitamura their drinks.

"Is that so?" You should atleast take a break sometimes." Kitamura said, looking up at Minori and sipping his tea.

"Y-Yeah, working all the time has to be hard on you.." Ryuuji stuttered, happy he was able to say something to her.

"Nah. I won't lose to laziness! But I have to get back to work, see you guys later." Minori said, and jogged away waving.

They all waved as they watched her go.

"She has a lot of energy, doesn't she?" Ami said, slightly laughing.

"She's always been like that, it's refreshing to say the least." Kitamura replied.

The next 30 minutes went by with Kitamura and Ami explaining how they met, Ryuuji listening glancing at Minori when he had the chance, and Taiga reading her magazine to avoid having to think of something to say to Kitamura.

"Takasu!" Kitamura said, standing up and looking at Ryuuji.

"Uh, yeah?" Ryuuji said, looking up at Kitamura.

"Can you come with me for a minute?" He said, slipping out of the booth and walking towards the restrooms.

"Er, sure. We'll be back." Ryuuji spoke, nodding his head at Taiga and Ami before following Kitamura.

When they got to the restrooms, Ryuuji was about to speak before Kitamura pulled him down, and pointed for him to watch Taiga and Ami.

"Kitamura... What are we doing?" He said with a confused tone.

"I'm showing you Ami's personality." Kitamura said, watching them closely.

"What do you mean? I've seen it. She's very nic--"

"Hey midget, I'm out of tea. Get me some more." Ami said, waving her glass in front of Taiga's face."

Ryuuji's eyes widened, as he saw the polite girl from earlier suddenly turn into a snobby brat.  
Taiga's eyes never left her magazine, but the glass shaking in front of her face was starting to annoy her.

"Didn't you hear me, midget? I said, get me some more te--"

She was interrupted when she was suddenly slapped hard across the face, a shocked look on her face as she looked forward to see that it was Taiga who hit her, judging from the hand Taiga still had extended out.

"... _Never_ call me a midget, unless you want to die." Taiga grumbled, anger flaring in her eyes.

From where they were, Ryuuji sighed. He knew Ami was going to get hit in some way, that's just how Taiga is.

"You see now, Takasu?" Kitamura said, chuckling.

"Yeah... That girl has two sides, and I don't really like her true self. My guess is that Taiga doesn't either." Ryuuji spoke, putting his hand to his face.

"I don't dislike her real side... I just want her to stop hiding it and show her true self, even if people don't like that personality, I think she would be satisfied."

Kitamura put his hands in his pockets and walked back over to the booth, and Ami jumped up "crying" and hugged him.

"Yuuuusaku~ She hit me!"

"It's alright Ami, we'll leave now. Sorry Aisaka, I hope we didn't cause any trouble." Kitamura sighed, and left with Ami. Leaving Taiga shocked and wondering if Kitamura was mad at her.

Ryuuji watched them as they left, remembering what Kitamura told him, and he was right, you should be who you really are.  
After all... You can't have two sides of your true self.

**-To Be Continued-**

_"This is our journey."_

_"We'll take this one step at a time."_

_"And together, we'll reach our goal."_

_Next time : Chapter 04 - Under The Starlit Sky_


End file.
